The Amazon Adventure

Day one: I am in the Amazon
As I look out the window, I see a never ending sea of green. It almost has the soft waves of the ocean that you see from miles above, but it is a sea of trees. This is our lung. This is where 20% of the world’s oxygen comes from. I am looking down upon the Amazon Rainforest, the home of millions plant and animal species, 400 indigenous groups, and an area that spreads over borders. The airplane manages to land on the small tarmac, and we step off the plane and into Leticia’s airport. The Amazon Jungle Aventure has begun.

Me, Jen, Natalia, and Sam


Our tour guides greet us with our names on a sign and hurry us off to our first adventure. We change our pants, lather on some bug repellent, and before we know it we are hoisting ourselves up a thirty foot tree into the canopy of the rainforest. Like true adventure women we make it up to the top only to zip our way through and back down to the forest floor. As we are hiking through the forest we look up to the canopy, and there are monkeys soaring through the trees; gracefully playing a game of tag. I am in the rainforest, the place I have learned about in text books and some of my favorite children’s books (The Great Kapok Tree).

We finally make it to a restaurant in Leticia to eat our first meal of the day, which is dinner. Our guide casually lets us know that he has to call the tour group owner to let him know that we safely made it to town before sunset because that’s when the snakes come out. I am in the Amazon Rainforest…

Day two: Three countries before 10:00 A.M.

The next day we wake up in Colombia; make a stop in Brazil for some breakfast beer ("the best breakfast beer ever"- Natalia) and to hop on our boat that was headed for the rainforest lodge in Peru. We arrive to Taganga, one of the Amazon River port cities in Brazil. The van takes us through Taganga, and my head is dizzy from the millions of motos buzzing past us and the busyness of the market. As soon as we pull up to the port, you can see how this waterway is an integral part of the city. The market borders the river. People are busily transferring their goods from boats to vendors and vice versa. They are selling everything and anything you can imagine. There are people selling fish out of baskets only feet off the shore, and water taxis are taking people between borders and to other small Amazonian communities.

We eventually make it onto our oversized motorized canoe. We cross the river to make a quick stop, and we are now in Peru. We travel down the river as many boats zoom right past us, and as fisherman lazily wait for their catch. We pass several small towns along the river edge. The quaint little towns have their small stores, church, humble homes, and sustain themselves from the river and the forest. A relaxing and breathtaking four hours later we stop at the edge of the river and are instructed to get out. The river is very low at this time of year, and the boat cannot get through the little river off of the Javari River. We must walk to the lodge. A short walk through the unknown and we arrive to the lodge. It’s set off the river and on stilts. We are told that the river can grow immensely depending on the season, we are in “dry season”- as dry as a rainforest can get…

We enter the lodge and are greeted by the workers taking their siesta in hammocks. We are then served a fresh and amazing lunch of fresh Amazon River fish, salad, rice, plantains, and freshly made amazon fruit juice. I think to myself how can I eat all of this? Somehow I manage to…

Ramiro, our guide, then tells us to put on some bug spray, wear long sleeves and pants because we are going on our first adventure… fishing for piranhas! The five of us and Ramiro get in a small canoe probably made for three. We have our sticks, fishing line, and hooks; all ready to catch our dinner. Ramiro has some fish and puts it on the hooks for us. We set off onto small lake behind the lodge. We sit on the boat as the smart little piranha’s nibble the bait right off the hooks. Once again there are small little monkey’s playing their games in the trees, jumping and swinging from branch to branch. The sun is setting and the reflection on the lake is unbelievable. Somehow it doesn’t matter that we won’t be eating our own freshly caught piranha for dinner. I am on a boat in the middle of the rainforest, and that is all that matters.

Day Three: Medicine Man
We awake to a huge breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit and juice, and coffee. Then Ramiro tells us of the day’s activities: a hike in the rainforest, boat ride on the river to see pink dolphins, and a night hunt for caiman (a type of crocodile). We set out in the rain for our hike. There is no cement or even a cut out path. Ramiro uses his machete to create a path deep into the forest. I am just amazed by the roots, vines, and plants that are swirling around me. I can’t seem to wrap my brain around the immense size of the tree trunks. Ramiro occasionally stops to show us the science and wonders of the rainforest. We learn how to make rubber from making a mixture that comes from the liquid from two different trees and water. We taste the bark that is used to make a tea that prevents malaria. We drink the purified water from a vine cut in half. We see the tree that has the anti-venom for snake and tarantula bites. I’m beginning to realize how possible it really is to survive off the land. The rainforest has everything we need for survival. It has the cure to diseases, it can be used to make shelter, clothing, boats, and has all the food necessary and healthier too. There really are communities that can live happily removed from our technological world. This is when it hits me. When we cut down the trees of the rainforest we are not only reducing the amount of oxygen in the world and killing off endangered species, but we are also endangering communities and culture.

After a long hike, a sunset boat ride to search for pink dolphins, three large meals, and a siesta, we put on our headlamps and get in the boat to hunt for caiman. We eerily float down the river as the suicidal fish would jump into our boat. Ramiro quickly scans his flashlight across the river for the eyes of the caiman that pop just out of the water. His flashlight stops; the boat driver stops the motor, and paddles up to the caiman as his eyes are frozen in the light… Just as we approach the glaring eyes he escapes. It is an unsuccessful night of seeing a full caiman, but a first for floating on a boat in the black night of the rainforest.

Yes, that is Ramiro outside of the boat pulling us through the river that was way to small for our boat. Sam and Naty also come to the rescue by pushing the sides of the river bed with the oars as Ramiro pulls. The adventures never end in the Amazon.

Day Four: A night in them middle of the Amazon
Ramiro tells us that our last night will be spent camping in the forest. We will leave the comfort of our lodge for hammocks and mosquito nets. Before the camping adventure begins, we go on another hike, lay out on a “Brazilian beach”, and swim in Javari River. Yes, the same river that we hunted for caiman in.

That night we boat to our new destination. Ramiro sets up a camp of hammocks and mosquito nets. The guides cook us fresh fish over the campfire. We set out for yet another night of caiman hunting. Supposedly we had been unlucky in our search for animals because of our voice volume. I know that it is hard to believe that five woman in the Amazon rainforest would be loud. We do our best to be quiet and again hunt the caiman. My eventual theory is that Ramiro doesn’t truly want to catch the caiman because they always seem to be just within reach. Not to mention that he doesn’t change his technique. After two nights of unsuccessful hunting one would think to try a new hunting technique. So this night too is a bust. We return to camp. The clock stricks nine and off to the hammocks the people go. Yes, nine o’clock. I am not tired, mind you. I have to get into a hammock in the middle of the Amazon and listen to the night sounds of the forest alone, just me in my hammock. It’s a restless sleep, the sound of the unknown, cold wet dampness. When will the morning come? I finally wake and see light. I hope that it is almost time to leave as I shiver in my hammock. I hear the alarm and begin to take my hammock down and begin to take down the others as they barely manage to crawl out of them. I survived my night in the rainforest.Day five: Return to “civilization”

We head back up the Amazon River, making our way back to Colombia. The four hour boat ride leaves lots of time for reflection. I can’t help but feel guilty for loving being free of all technological communication, but at the same time secretly thinking about writing in my blog or my Facebook status. I feel guilty for the pictures I take as souvenirs; the pictures of people living their daily life that seems so foreign to me. I feel guilty for being a part of a world that is killing the one that I have just enjoyed for the past four days. The boat pulls up to Taganga. The guilt gets pushed away deep inside, and I yearn for the comfort of my life. We eventually make it home to Cali about sixteen hours after waking up in the middle of the rainforest. My uncomfortable bed has never felt so warm, cozy and inviting.

Cali es salsa

Every year Cali hosts a world salsa festival. They have competitors from all over the city and world compete for an international title. We attended the Friday night elimination round. Then we head back for the finals on Sunday. When we entered the plaza on Sunday, a worker asked where I was going to sit, and I told him that I was going up to the seats in the stadium. He told me to follow him, and he guided us past the lines to an International “VIP” section. Since it is an “international” festival they wanted to make sure that they were internationally representing at their festival. Apparently, I look like a foreigner here, so we got to sit in the first row up from the floor where the dancers are. Being blond pays off sometimes! Since this was the finale, we saw the best of the best. The children’s groups that won the competitions performed. It was amazing to see children as young as five shaking their hips, moving their feet at light speed, and dancing in partners all in synchronization with their group. Then the adults performed. There were group dances to live Salsa bands and partner dances. They move so quick and gracefully that I thought my eyes were on fast forward. The music is just so lively that with the beautiful and passionate dance you fall into a trance. The seats were amazing, the costumes were exquisite, and the dancing was breathtaking! I love living in the Capital of Salsa!

Apparently, this guy is famous. So we asked a for a picture with him, but I still don't know who he is!

Calle del Arte

After the Saturday workshop, we hopped on the school bus and headed to the neighborhood, San Antonio. San Antonio is a very colonial looking neighborhood with old colorful buildings and house that are all connected. It is known for its artsy bohemian ambiance. They were hosting a street art festival. One of the teachers and her family live on the street of the festival, so they opened their house as a restaurant and invited us teachers and people from the festival over to eat. Their house is very Colombian looking. It has old, colorful floor tiles. There is a loft above the dining room. They have a court yard between the bedrooms and kitchen and living room. It was so quaint and cultural feeling. Her husband is French, so he was the chef for the day. He made a delicious lunch of quiche, salad, and wine. It was very relaxing to be eating lunch and enjoy the day with all of the teachers after a day and a half of teacher workshops. After we ate our lunch we headed out to the street to check out the art. Many of artisans really make quality handmade crafts ranging from typical jewelry, handmade leather purses and bags, to paintings. There were also stages set up with live music and salsa performances. The temperature and weather added to make it a truly beautiful day.

Professional Development at Colegio Bolivar

Colegio Bolivar recently hosted a professional development day for our teachers and other teachers from around Colombia and Ecuador. I attended a workshop called Destination Imagination, which is a worldwide program designed to help students learn to problem solve by activating their imaginations and creativity. It is an extracurricular program that the students prepare for a National Competition throughout the year, and if successful move onto the International Competition in the USA. The children compete in activities from creating skits to designing tools and machines. It was really inspiring to see what children are capable of when we give them the tools and resources to think outside of the box. It was also fun to participate in the activities ourselves to get a taste of what the children need to do. Colegio Bolivar has won the national competition every year and gets to travel to the US as a team. Hopefully, this year they can keep up the tradition! Although the school had us come to work on a Saturday, they ended the day with a Pacifico Band from the coast to play for us. All of the teachers were dancing down the aisles of auditorium. The performance really left us with a positive feeling and made me realize how refreshing it is to be in an environment where the people truly care about education, and the administration cares about the well being of the staff.

A Hike through Nirvana

One beautiful Saturday morning, our personal school bus that we had been carted all around the city for weeks in took us to Nirvana, a nature reserve. We left the crowded polluted city to a true Nirvana. Colgeio Bolivar Parent Association was treating us to a day of nature and typical food to welcome the new teachers to the school and Colombia. They couldn’t have picked a more welcoming place. We started the morning with some tinto (black Colombian coffee) and fried empanadillas out on the deck of the park’s restaurant. We picked out our lunch, so it would be ready for us when we returned from our hike through the park. I chose the trout that is raised in the ponds of the park, served with rice and plantains. Our hike began through the atrium of toucans and parrots. The birds were rescued from the drug cartels, as it has been popular for the cartels to own exotic animals and birds. Unfortunately, the birds would no longer survive in nature, so they are cared for at Nirvana. The birds were so colorful, and I had never been that close to touching a live toucan. The closest I have seen a toucan is Toucan Sam on the Fruit Loop box. Then we continued our hike (escorted by military men, might I add) through the park and up the hills to a breathtaking view of the Cauca Valley, where Cali is located. Along the walk we were surrounded by hundreds of different kinds of trees, plants, and colorful flowers. At the top we rested in hammocks, and took in the view before ascending down the trail. The hike ended with a trip into the butterfly garden. The garden was enclosed with exotic flowers and plants, where the butterflies gracefully fly from flower to flower. The real end of the trip was the lunch: fresh fish, salad, plantains, and good company. What more could you ask for after beautiful afternoon hike in the Valle de Cauca, Colombia?